[Team] Lotus to race against Lotus

[PabloTeK]

Yep, Autosport has this to say about GROUP Lotus buying part of Renault:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88616

If they both want to use black/gold, it'll be a very confusing grid!

[Super Hans]

Lotus Renault? Outstanding. Hopefully Kubica will add himself to the list of greats to win for Chapman's outfit.

[Grandpa_Rob]

Mmmm, all a bit confusing, l read in F1 racing Dec edition, that Lotus Racing as it is now called would not be racing under that name in 2011 because of a clause associated with the deal for Renault engine next season stipulating they would not be called Lotus......so it may not be Lotus against Lotus but the no name team formally known as Lotus against Lotus.

[steve_r]

You wait for years for the best colour scheme in F1 history to return, and then two come along at once!

[medius]

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124818

[Knowlesy]

Imaginative liveries.

Team Proton, doing Malaysians proud.

[ECW Dan Selby]

This is a joke, really..

Common sense needs to prevail..........

.........

Selby

[Down F0rce]

Four Black and Gold cars on the grid next year. A wonderful sight from a rather silly situation.

Fernandes won't give this up though. Maybe he should sign Bruno Senna and use the Camel livery instead.

[ECW Dan Selby]

I just think two teams trying to do the same thing dilutes the whole idea

Yeh going for a different Lotus livery would be a good idea

Selby

[Bononi]

One of them could use the Camel livery... not as good as JPS but at least it was also Lotus.

[Greem]

I'm Lotus, and so is my wife.

[Rgms320]

I've had one nagging question since this whole thing began. Or at least since the identities of Group Lotus (the manufacturing arm) and Team Lotus (the racing entity, owned by David Hunt) were clarified.

When Tony Fernandes entered F1, he licensed the name from Group Lotus, the manufacturing arm, and not from David Hunt, who owns and maintains the racing legacy.

So, from Tony's Day 1, he was using the wrong Lotus. He was representing the automaker, and not the racing legacy.

Did he screw up, and is the current situation all his fault?

(And why didn't he obtain a license from Hunt in the first place? Current matters would have been a lot simpler, and perhaps clearer. I wonder if this question will be asked in the High Court?)

Forgive my rambling. I'm really confused.

Thanks.

[strider]

The only solution that will make sense will be that if Lotus Renault are hell-bent on using the black and gold colour scheme, Tony Fernandes, who has already established his credentials as a racer (unlike Dany Bahar) should go with the classic Team Lotus name with the support of the Chapman family and David Hunt and keep the cars in the classic green and yellow livery.

[Fox89]

Sod them. Those cars are no more "Lotuses" then Mclarens are "Vodafones". They are still Renault, and Group are simply hoping everyone calls them 'Lotus' thanks to all the media attention this farce has generated. I hope Danny Bahar and his associates get taken to the cleaners in the high courts.

Group have no right to the Team Lotus heritage beyond about 1954. Yet they persist in plastering that heritage all over their website, and now they muscle in with black and gold livery for no reason other than to try and hoodwink the gullible into believing they are the real deal.

I know that the business world is a harsh place, I have no delusions that Tony Fernandes is a saint with no corporate blood on his hands. But there's a big difference between "tough luck, that's business" and petty theft, the latter of which is what Group Lotus are pursuing.

I've always wanted to own a Lotus Elise. To hell with that now, I'll buy a Caterham. This entire saga has put me off the Group Lotus brand for the foreseeable future.

And they're Renaults. Black and gold livery or no, "LOTUS" plastered all over the place or no, they are Renaults.

So, from Tony's Day 1, he was using the wrong Lotus. He was representing the automaker, and not the racing legacy.

I think he approached Hunt for his first year but... I forget. Anyway, he WAS using the wrong Lotus (for reasons that were mentioned but I can't recall exactly), but he rectified it legitimately for this season. It's not his fault at all, Group are just trying to muscle in because when Proton bought Lotus they thought they had the racing team as well but were misinformed.

Oh, this from James Allen's blog:

The new team will not claim any of Lotus’ F1 heritage

Aha... you sure about that James?

[Super Hans]

I hope another team changes their name to Equipe Lotus and runs the Gold Leaf livery, my favourite colour scheme of all time.

[foreversideways]

Only in Formula One.

[VIVA GT]

I think one of the teams should obtain sponsorshup from the Essex Touring Board and adopt the stunning Blue / Red / Chrome colour scheme of the 80's.

[Super Hans]

I am Lotus!

[Paradise City]

Fernandes has a cast iron case. It'll be very satisfying watching him taking Group to the cleaners for intellectual theft.

There's only one Lotus Team on the grid and that's Fernandes. Bahar's new team is legally known as Renault in the eyes of the FIA and can't be changed to Lotus as that has already been taken by Fernandes.

If the court case is still ongoing the FIA will probably step in before the season starts.

[joe rossi]

what a farce...

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

Fernandes has a cast iron case.

I'm not sure he does. It hinges on whether the Team Lotus name was used recently or not... Another thing, a small team like Fernandes' would be better advised to spend their tight resources on racing rather than litigation.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

This is a joke, really..

Common sense needs to prevail..........

Since when have billionaires in ****ing contests let common sense prevail?

[ECW Dan Selby]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I think one of the teams should obtain sponsorshup from the Essex Touring Board and adopt the stunning Blue / Red / Chrome colour scheme of the 80's.

Big fat YES

Gorgeous livery, although perhaps not synonnymous with Lotus...

Selby

[Fox89]

It hinges on whether the Team Lotus name was used recently or not...

Er... it does? Why? Because if not ownership is passed to a company with a similar name?

A lawyer I'm not, I admit, but everything I've seen from both parties surrounding this case lead me to believe that Fernandes has a cast iron case. Heck, Group's entire premise for taking legal action in the first place was by very carefully not using the word "Team" when referring to Fernandes' misuse of "Lotus".

[Rgms320]

Originally Posted by Fox89

I think he approached Hunt for his first year but... I forget. Anyway, he WAS using the wrong Lotus (for reasons that were mentioned but I can't recall exactly), but he rectified it legitimately for this season. It's not his fault at all, Group are just trying to muscle in because when Proton bought Lotus they thought they had the racing team as well but were misinformed.

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you, Fox.

Now, I guess I need to do some homework to find out why Hunt didn't give Tony a license in the first place.

What a mess!